photographic works and travels of Justin De Jesus

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Escape to Tagaytay: Bag of Beans, The Inn at Cliffhouse, and Antonio’s

It has been a year since my last blog post. Now that I have some free time again, I want to kickstart 2013 on a travel photo blog of our family trip to Tagaytay. It’s been a while since we got to get away and spend time together. It’s summertime in the Philippines and we were hoping to experience some relief from the heat in the city. Tagaytay is just close to Manila around 2 hours drive at the most and is home to a lot of food spots so it is a very ideal destination for us.

We first visited Bag of Beans, a popular spot in Tagaytay for their coffee, pies, desserts, and breakfast food. I tried their Filipino Longganisa breakfast (PHP 210.00) and because I don’t drink coffee, I got a cup of hot chocolate (PHP 115.00) instead. I liked that the hot chocolate is really made from tablea and boiled milk which gives it a richer taste. Bag of Beans offer you good value for your money. Great food and its cool al fresco dining (especially during December).

We wanted a different experience so we looked for a bed and breakfast to stay for the night. I wanted to stay at Joaquin’s Bed and Breakfast but my family opted to stay at The Inn at Cliffhouse. The rooms were great, the staff were very helpful and hospitable, and feels like you’re right at home. Upon arriving they offered us welcome ice cream care of Fruits in Ice Cream. We were booked at their West Quoddy (with its distinct red interiors) and Montauk Point (homey yellow color scheme) rooms. When we entered our room, we found a personalized note with welcome ferrero chocolates, and a teddy bear. I appreciated all these little things and makes us guests feel welcome. And what I really loved is the cozy ambiance of the rooms and each room has a distinct personality to it. Another great thing about the Inn is it’s just beside it are good restaurants like Cafe Breton, Buon Giorno, Fire Lake Grill, and dessert places like Mochiko and Fling Frozen Yogurt. You don’t have to go far to dine. One last thing to note is they only have 4 rooms so privacy and exclusivity is assured. The Inn at Cliffhouse is definitely a haven where one can have some peace and simply relax.

For dinner, we headed to one of the most popular dining places in Tagaytay, the highly acclaimed Antonio’s. I ordered their Chilean Sea Bass, Foil Baked with Tomatoes, Olives, Parsley, Pine Nuts on Mashed Potato (PHP 1650.00). It comes with a complete course of soup, salad, main course, and dessert. The combination of fantastic food and rustic ambience made our night at Antonio’s.

Since we are staying in a bed and breakfast, upon waking up we can choose to have a light or full breakfast at the lobby of the inn. My light breakfast consisted of: Yogurt with Homemade Granola, Baked Potato Egg, Baked Beans, Roasted Tomatoes, and Butter Fried Banana Bread with Walnut.

Before heading back to Manila, we visited Joaquin’s Bed and Breakfast for lunch. I had their very tasty Bulalo and Iced Tea. And while having lunch, we are greeted with a lovely view of Taal.